forever be my world
by golden doe
Summary: "To cancel thy curse, thou must slay her who is purest of all." sasusaku, AU.
1. Prologue

**forever  
****_be_  
my  
world**

by golden doe

"To cancel thy curse, thou must slay her who is purest of all."

* * *

_Wide green eyes stared at the man before her, not wanting to believe the undeniable truth, refusing to acknowledge the horrible ugly reality._

_Behind his mask, he was smirking. He liked the expression on her face, revealing her reaction to his revelation. He didn't have to guess what could possibly be going through her mind right now. Her wide green eyes, parted pink lips, paled complexion, spoke louder than any words._

_To be honest, this was another opportunity he did not expect to come across but now that it was given to him in a silver platter, he'd be a fool not to seize it and wield it. Wield it as the strongest weapon in his arsenal against her and those ungrateful traitors._

_"Sasuke-kun will rescue you," he began to tell her but his words were not designed to comfort her, "as you believe he will." He paused dramatically, cruelly, before continuing, "But not for reason you believe so. He will come for you, seek you, and save you. But not for you. For himself. He will slay you, as the Witch foretold, to be freed of Orochimaru's Curse. Because you are _her who is purest of all_."_

_She was crumbling and it was such a magnificent sight to behold. The Lady of Spring, Unyielding, a healer, revered by many as the goddess of victory... crumbling, shattering, falling, her powers waning, and it was done so by no more than mere words._

Come, Sasuke-kun. Come and save your princess.

* * *

A monster...

_Cursed_

"AGHK!"

_A cure to your curse does not exist._

—

_The pain_

Trembling hand clutched his left shoulder, the hideously growing nails clawing at the tattoo inked in his skin.

Tears began to sting his eyes. The pain—he still hadn't gotten used it, and it felt worse with every transformation.

"Haa... haa..." his pants grew erratic, a scream threatening to tear through his throat "AGK!"

Dammit. He was a prince. A prince of the Uchiha clan. But at this rate he wouldn't—

Crunch.

He froze at the sound, and so did his transformation it would seem, to his surprise. No one was supposed to be out this late at night, especially during a _moonless _night. Not in the Forbidden Forests where monsters were said to lurk, not when he was undergoing through _this_ hell.

Another crunch. It was louder this time.

Whoever's approaching will die. Never had he exercised control in this horrific state and this would be no exception.

"Ano..."

"Go away!" he growled at the direction the voice came from and he was surprised at the lack of viciousness in his voice.

Crunch.

"Dammit, don't come any nearer!" he warned. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He had never done so and he wouldn't tonight, not if he could help it.

"But! But... you're in pain. Let me help you."

Though he had yet to look up, he could tell from the voice that it was a girl.

"_No one,_" he hissed, "can help me." It was the truth he had long since accepted. No one could help him. His curse was beyond the power of his clan. Not even the esteemed healer of the village, Lady Tsunade, could.

"Most especially not you," he spat.

He felt her take a step closer and when he no longer showed any sign of hostility, her steps grew more confident.

She took his face between her palms and he shut his eyes tightly, willing himself not to lose control.

"You're sweating," she whispered in a gasp.

Her hands left his skin, most likely in disgust and he could not blame her; he's disgusting and—

Cloth touched his forehead, dabbing away the beads of sweat gently in an almost caress.

"Are you still hurting?" he heard her ask softly as she continued to wipe the sweat from his face and neck.

The pain... His eyes opened at the realisation before finding himself staring at a pair of concerned green eyes.

The pain... the pain was gone. He clenched his hands into a tight fist and felt no sharp talons digging in his skin. _Impossible._ Looking at her eyes, he found no trace of fear and disgust he knew to be the inevitable response to his ghastly appearance; he found genuine concern and compassion.

"Who are you?"

tbc.

* * *

**special thanks to**: The Scarlett Ribbon, for sharing your insight about this fic when I first told you about it last year

**inspired by**: InuYasha (Anime/Manga), Jumong (historical Korean drama)

**title from**: lyrics of Make Love by Taeyang

notes: i tried condensing this into a one shot but it's just _not_ possible. & i know i've got other stories still to be completed but this story has been suppressed for a year because i wanted to finish it before publishing it. as it is, all i've got are three draft chapters.

_HAPPY NEW YEAR!_


	2. Chapter 1

"_He will come and save you, to _kill_ you."_

No. No. No!

"_To be freed from his curse."_

Sasuke will never do that. Sasuke—

"_Sasuke-kun desired nothing more than to be freed of his curse. You, of all people, should know this."_

_Even in her heart, this she couldn't deny_ but—

_And your death is the to his heart's desire. Your death at his hands is his will bathe in your blood,basking at the freedom your demise has given him. And so you shall wait here, for him and die._

No. No. Sasuke wouldn't. He's—

"Sasuke loves me," _she said, her tone firm and filled with conviction._

_Does he? Has he ever told you that? _

_Whatever response she had died on her tongue._

_You're an Unyielding. His love for you means _nothing_. So stop hoping. And succumb to your fate._

* * *

**::Chapter 1::**

_More than a decade later_

"Sakura," left his lips in a whisper.

"Sakura," he repeated, a little louder, as if it would summon the girl who came to his aide unflinchingly that night several years ago.

Her name was more of a souvenir than an introduction, as she had left not long after his transformation receded. The encounter might've been brief but even to this day he could still remember the genuine concern in her voice and the gentleness of her touch.

And her eyes, they were the greenest things he had ever seen in his life.

"Sa—" he tried to repeat again but stopped at the first syllable of her name. There was no use uttering her name to the wind; she wouldn't come.

But he knew, in his heart, that if he ever wanted his brother to open his eyes again, she was all the hope there was left for his kingdom. His brother needed her, just as much as his family and the kingdom needed his brother.

If only he could find her... he could bring take her to the palace and—

He dismissed the thought before hope could even bloom. There was no way he could find her, he already tried and failed.

Her name, the handkerchief she lent him still in his possession and the White Circle prominent on her red dress were the only clues he had of her.

The White Circle of the Haruno clan.

_But the Haruno clan was ruthlessly massacred during the last war with no survivors._

And although he knew she was probably dead, a selfish part of him wished otherwise. He needed—no wanted her.

For her presence that night several years ago was the only thing that ever prevented him from evolving into the sickening monstrosity he always became every New Moon.

And at this moment, his conscience was telling him had she stayed by his side, the Crown Prince wouldn't be lying on his bed, poisoned from the fangs of the monster that only she had the power to control.

* * *

A sigh escaped her lips as she withdrew her hands hovering over young man's chest. '_He is still too young,_' she thought as she gazed at his unconscious being lying on the comforts of his bed. '_He has a great future ahead for him, a Kingdom to rule..._'

She couldn't believe that there was nothing more she could do for him, her future Emperor, as the Head Priestess. The illness that had stricken the Crown Prince was beyond the _chakra_ she possessed—no, it wasn't an illness as much as it was a curse. To cure him, a stronger and purer chakra was needed—and there was only one she knew who could provide such a power.

The thought that not only had she been unable to cure the younger prince of his curse but also the Crown Prince sickened her. What use was she as the Head Priestess, if she couldn't serve their Highnesses?

With a deep breath and guilt in her heart, she nodded to her ladies-in-waiting to open the door.

Outside the Crown Prince's chamber were the royal entourage of the Empress who had been patiently waiting to hear any improvements to the conditions of her eldest son for three days. Mikoto held Tsunade in high regard and she knew that her friend wouldn't fail her; she would cure her son. It was the very reason she had spent three days outside her son's room, sleepless and fasting, despite her husband's and younger son's insistence.

Thus it was no surprise when Mikoto collapsed upon seeing her friend's grim face as Tsunade stepped outside.

* * *

"The Lady of Spring has been summoned to attend to the ailing Crown Prince!"

The news circulated not only inside but also beyond the palace gates; however it did little to lessen the distress the villagers feel upon learning that their beloved prince was struck with an illness, one that was beyond the healing abilities of any from their land.

The Lady of Spring was known for her exceptional prowess in the arts of healing across the Nations, her name being synonymous to that of the Kingdom's Head Priestess Tsunade. However, knowing that Lady Tsunade of the Forest had already seen to the eldest prince's condition yet still needing to require the younger healer's presence only meant that his condition was graver than they initially thought it to be.

A tense atmosphere fell upon the entire Kingdom of Fire as they awaited their future Emperor's healer—the one who then hold the young man's life in her hands. There was also doubt in the air, doubt of this Lady of Spring's ability; she was still young, rumoured to be of same age with the younger prince. The fact that it was Tsunade who trained her herself was completely overlooked.

The elusive and enigmatic Lady of Spring arrived no later than a day after she was summoned. She wore silk dress robes with whiteness and purity akin to snow; her face and hair were hidden from curious eyes by a soft white veil that glitters under the light. The young Prince watched with inquisitive dark eyes as she alit from her horse whose skin was the same colour of her clothes. A frown curved on Sasuke's lips; he was expecting her to be the very personification of spring just as her title suggests but her appearance resembled that of winter. However, he had to remind himself that she was a healer... a priestess. Detached to the world, however compassionate.

Sasuke was standing outside his older brother's quarters next to his father who was supporting his mother who just recovered from her initial shock to welcome the young priestess. However, as she drew nearer, he felt the air grew denser, constricting and suffocating—it was as if her presence was too strong and perhaps, it truly was. Not even his father, the Emperor exuded such a formidable strong presence. Was it for this reason that Lady Tsunade chose her? That she was renowned as a healer despite her age?

Overwhelming...

The young prince could feel as if the world was constricting him, caging him, closing on him. His throat throbbed, choking him, restricting his breathing. His knees were threatening to give away and he was met with an unbelievably strong urge to run to his bed, to curl under the blankets, to hide from this crushing force. Then in an instant, the devastatingly overpowering aura disappeared, replaced with soothing warmth.

The warmth was a soft hum about her, fluttering and barely there, also veiled with a hint of familiarity.

His dark eyes continued to observe her as she was led to his brother's quarters and he was granted a glimpse of her eyes that the white cloth did not cover as she passed by him. Turning away to hide his smirk, he realized that she truly was the personification of spring.

Unlike during the time Lady Tsunade was attending to his brother, the treatment wasn't as long but the sun had long since set and the moon was high at its fullest. The doors parted to reveal the young priestess but before she was able to make any more movement, she lost consciousness and collapsed. In an instant, Sasuke was at her side, his strong arms capturing the maiden from her descent. The movement caused the veil covering her face and hair to slide down revealing locks the colour of sakura flowers only seen during spring and skin as pale as ivory.

His eyes widened at her beauty but he was quick to gather his composure back as his mother and her attendants rushed to her fallen form.

"She is simply exhausted," the Empress assessed, "my dear son, will you take her to the quarters prepared for her?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

tbc.

* * *

edited: 14 July 2013.

post-chapter notes: i was rereading this the other day and realised that the pace of the story was going too fast... so i extended this chapter a bit. thanks for reading!


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